Friday, July 27, 2018

Dear DAVID,
The APA Blog is looking to take on a new associate editor. Blog editors develop, solicit, and edit blog content, and help manage the blog—including activities such as regular video-chats with the rest of the editorial team, moderating comments, reviewing pitches, and brainstorming proposals for the blog. Blog editors receive a modest stipend and it is a part-time role.
If you are interested in being considered, submit the following items to blog@apaonline.org with the subject line “Associate Editor Application” by August 30, 2018:

Cover letter

Brief CV (4 pages maximum)

Statement of interest (1-2 pages)

The statement of interest should outline your qualifications for the position, what interests you most about the APA Blog, and what you could bring to the blog as an associate editor.
If you have any questions, please email blog@apaonline.org and we will respond as soon as possible.
We look forward to receiving your applications!
Best,
Skye C. ClearyLead Editor, Blog of the APA

Yesterday, the House passed my legislation to give states like Rhode Island a leg up when we’re competing for federal funding to strengthen our manufacturing industry. I’ve been working to get this legislation signed into law since I first came to Congress, and I’m pleased that we’re now one step closer to making this goal a reality.

When they’re given a level playing field, Rhode Islanders will outwork and outperform any competitors. If this bill becomes law, it will allow our state to request a designation as a “Defense Manufacturing Community.” This designation will give selected communities an edge when competing for funding, as well as financial and technical assistance through the Department of Defense, meaning more full-time, good-paying jobs in the years ahead.

Once this bill is signed into law, I’ll be working with our private, public, and non-profit sectors to take advantage of this opportunity, and I’ll be sure to keep you informed of our progress.

HONORING SERGEANT MCKENNA

Earlier this week, the President signed my bill into law to honor Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna Jr., a Bristol native who was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2015. As a result, the U.S. Post Office at 515 Hope Street in Bristol will be renamed in memory of this great Rhode Islander.

I had the opportunity to meet Sergeant McKenna and thank him for his service when he was honored at the 2015 Bristol Fourth of July Parade. He represented all that is great about Rhode Island and our country. He was a patriot. He loved America deeply and devoted his life to its service. The strong character and values that he learned growing up in Rhode Island guided him until the very end. I am grateful that we are honoring his life with this permanent memorial.

TAKING ON THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

The opioid epidemic is the most significant public health crisis we’ve faced in decades. Opioid addiction knows no boundaries – it impacts folks of all different races, ages, and backgrounds. We need to do everything we can to end this crisis.

That’s why I was proud that Senator Reed, Senator Whitehouse, Congressman Langevin, and I were able to deliver nearly $3.9 million in funding to curb the risks of opioid addiction and overdose in our state. This critical funding will make a real difference in the lives of folks struggling with addiction. It’s important that we continue doing everything we can to win the fight against opioids. Click here to learn more about this announcement.

STANDING WITH FIRST RESPONDERS

Senator Reed, Senator Whitehouse, and I also recently announced that the local fire departments in Cumberland, Lime Rock, and Pawtucket have been awarded more than $500,000 for new equipment and protective gear through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.

This important funding will help ensure that our brave first responders can do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible. I’ll continue working to do everything I can to make sure that our firefighters, police, and all other first responders get the resources they need. Click here to learn more about how this funding will be used.

MAKING HIGHER EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE

Access to affordable higher education has always been one of the keys to ensuring that the young people of America can enter the workforce successfully and go on to a rewarding career, but right now the cost of higher education is forcing more and more people to choose between taking on crippling debt or giving up their dream of a degree or credential. We have to do better.

That’s why I joined several of my colleagues to introduce the Aim Higher Act earlier this week. This is a comprehensive bill that will give every young person the chance to earn a degree or get a credential without debt. It will increase investments in financial aid, make the majority of Pell Grant funding mandatory, and create new incentives that require states to offer two years of tuition-free community college. Click here to see my remarks at our press conference announcing the bill.

FIGHTING FOR LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS

When President Trump was a candidate, one of the few things I agreed with him on was his promise to lower the cost of prescription drugs. It has been one year and a half since he took office, and he’s done nothing to do that. The President broke his promise to America’s seniors.

It’s not the first promise he’s broken in his life, and it won’t be the last, but this one has stuck with me the most. I have met with too many seniors across Rhode Island who are struggling with the high cost of prescription drugs. Our seniors shouldn’t have to spend hours on the phone, shopping around for drugs, or breaking pills in half so they don’t have to pay to refill their prescriptions.

Since President Trump came into office, Republicans have voted to weaken protections for folks with pre-existing conditions, increase out-of-pocket expenses and premiums, and steal from Medicare and Medicaid to give a tax break to the biggest companies and wealthiest Americans in this country. Americans deserve better.

One of the first proposals Democrats announced last summer, as part of our economic agenda, was a plan to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Our plan allows the government to drive down drug prices by negotiating lower prescription drug prices for Medicare. It also requires drug manufacturers to publicly release hard data and information justifying any significant increase, and it cracks down on price gouging in a very significant way.

It is time that Washington start working For The People -- not just for the pharmaceutical companies and executives who fund Republican campaigns.

As always, if you or someone you know has any questions or concerns, please call my office at 729-5600 or send me an email at David.Cicilline@mail.house.gov.

This month Josh and our campaign were honored to receive the endorsement of End Citizens United. They are supporting Josh because he believes that corporate money is not speech and special interests should never be allowed to drown out the voices of hard-working citizens.

End Citizens United is an organization fiercely dedicated to getting big money out of politics. They understand that we can no longer sit by and watch while corporations call the shots. Our representatives MUST be accountable to us, the people, and NOT to corporations.

Josh is committed to not taking corporate PAC money for this reason. But that means we can’t rely on mega-donors to fund our campaign...

Our democracy is being threatened and it’s time for us to stand up. Josh is the leader that Central Jersey has been waiting to do just that. For too long, the residents of New Jersey’s 4th district have suffered with an absentee Congressman in Chris Smith who hasn’t held a town hall in over 20 years. Chris Smith just isn’t concerned about the voice of the people he claims to represent.

Thank you for supporting Josh and this campaign. I can’t wait to see what we are going to accomplish together.

While writing about Political Issues through the years, there is one recurring theme I find most disturbing;

MANY AMERICANS DEMAND THAT THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS REVEAL AND STAND BY A SET OF MORAL PRINCIPLES THAT ARE EASILY IDENTIFIABLE AND UNCHANGING, YET ARE AFRAID TO FOLLOW THIS LINE OF REASONING IN THEIR OWN LIVES.

Many individuals are deathly afraid to reveal their personal beliefs on Religion and Morality, in fear that their family or friends will ostracize them.

This has always fascinated me. Why would any person deceive others, just to maintain a relationship built on lies? Yes, I understand that a Human Being is essentially a Social Animal, and the need to be accepted is a fundamental desire. However, what do you sacrifice, in the name of being part of a particular social circle?

To be clear, I am not including the individual who is trying to interact with an extremist group, or others that are clearly irrational in nature. Sexists, Homophobes, Religious Fanatics, Xenophobes etc., are examples of Mindsets based on Fear, Hate and a general loathing of Humanity.

This article is to ask why an Intelligent and Caring person would decide to mask their beliefs, which are genuine in nature, from those that mean the most to them.

Let me ask a question, to all of my readers. Think of the people you are closest to. They may be a relative, or a friend. By close, I mean an individual that you consider a close confidant, in that their advice would be considered a prominent part of any important decision that you make. Would you be afraid of offending them, if they found out that there were certain moral absolutes that you were not in agreement?

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

No child should ever be torn from their parents, and no parent should have to wonder when or if they'll see their child again. But with the reunification deadline set by a federal judge fast approaching, thousands of families who have been separated at the border by the Trump administration still need to be reunited -- and in some cases, children have been sent to states far from where their parents were detained.

There is something we can do right now to help. A coalition of groups is raising money for flights, hotels, and cell phones for families traveling to reunite with their loved ones -- so far, they've raised more than $180,000 and helped more than 400 families.

Those working to reunite families on the ground have shared incredible stories, from a little boy reunited with his mom just in time for his birthday to reunited families settling in together to watch Pixar's Coco on a quiet evening.

Let's make more of these moments happen. Donate right now to help cover travel expenses and more to families separated at the border.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

On July 31st, the Massachusetts legislative session ends. This means we have ONE WEEK to push the MA House of Representatives to bring the Healthy Youth Act to the floor for a vote. We have the numbers on our side: 91 percent of likely voters support sex education, the majority of state representatives support the bill, and dozens of organizations have endorsed the Healthy Youth Act. With numbers like these, we need to make sure our voices are heard.

All day long, we’re mobilizing supporters like you to flood the Massachusetts House of Representatives with reasons why consent-focused, LGBTQ-inclusive sex ed is so important to young people across the state. Here’s how to call your representative:

Step 1: Use this form to find your state rep and be connected to their office phone.

Step 2: You’ll be connected with either a staffer or a voicemail. Share why theHealthy Youth Act is important to you!

Step 3: Make the ask! Urge your representative to bring the Healthy Youth Act to the floor for a vote.

When you’re done, forward this email to your friends, family, and colleagues. Then, share your activism on social media. Shout your support for the Healthy Youth Act from the rooftops. We have no time to waste.

A GOP Congressman and former FBI agent says he thinks President Trump was manipulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Brian Fitzpatrick told NPR's Michel Martin on All Things Considered that he drew that conclusion after the two leaders appeared in Helsinki.

"The president was manipulated by Vladimir Putin," Fitzpatrick said. "Vladimir Putin is a master manipulator."

The Helsinki summit came days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued an indictment for 12 Russian intelligence agents accused of hacking Democratic emails and sowing confusion around the 2016 elections.

Fitzpatrick sits on the House committees on Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security. In his previous role as an FBI special agent, he said he was assigned to Ukraine and worked on counterintelligence, collecting Russian propaganda reports.

He told Martin he was "frankly sickened by the exchange" between Trump and Putin.

The congressman, who represents Pennsylvania's 8th District, said he shared his view with former CIA agent and fellow House Republican Will Hurd of Texas. Hurd wrote recently in The New York Times that Trump "actively participated in a Russian disinformation campaign."

American intelligence agencies have said they are certain Russia meddled in the 2016 elections. Trump appeared to question that conclusion in Helsinki. He has also called an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller a "witch hunt."

Some Republican leaders have fallen in line with the President. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio has demanded the Mueller investigation be terminated. The House Intelligence Committee ended its Russia investigation and said it found no evidence of collusion. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows was seen carrying impeachment papers against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Others have pushed back. After the Helsinki meeting, House Speaker Paul Ryan issued a statement that read, "There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell added, "As I've said repeatedly, the Russians are not our friends and I entirely agree with the assessment of our intelligence community."

Arizona GOP Senator John McCain said, "No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant."

Fitzpatrick noted to NPR that he has co-sponsored a House bill in support of Mueller's investigation; it was introduced in April but has yet to pass. He noted Sunday that "there's not nearly enough" urgency in the White House regarding Russia's role in the 2016 elections and decried the "mixed signals" sent on the subject by the administration.

"It needs to be accepted as fact by everybody in our government because we need to respond to that reality and it's a significant threat. We cannot let that happen again," Fitzpatrick said.

He pointed out that his constituents are baffled. Fitzpatrick recalled a voter who approached him in a supermarket. "They were just confused about what exactly transpired, what message are we sending," he said.

I'm incredibly honored to have received the endorsement of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF).

The DPCF has led the Florida Democratic Party forward on a number of fronts, including establishing a bold platform of our values. Healthcare for all, living wages, protecting our environment, equality, justice, retirement security, and so much more...

“Steve walks the walk. That’s rare, even among the best candidates. He doesn't just talk about a living wage; he pays his employees a living wage. He doesn't just talk about healthcare without understanding it; as a practicing physician, Steve is on the front lines of that battle. As voters get to know Steve, we think they’ll agree that he’s the real deal.” -- DPCF VP Michael Calderin

It's incredibly humbling to have organizations that put values first decide to back your campaign. It's fantastic to know there are so many out there who share our values, who are working to put an end to the devastation being wrought on our nation.

With your support, we will win the primary on August 28th and continue fighting forward to build Tomorrow's Democratic Party - a party where our values come before profits.

Friday, July 20, 2018

We are four months away from a critically important election that will have both local and national impact. Now is the time to make a difference. Events will be held throughout the district. Join us for an upcoming Welle for Congress event; find an event near you!

We are most excited to announce the opening of our Ocean County office this Saturday 7/21 at 12:00pm in Manchester - details below! We encourage you to bring office supplies (e.g., pens, notebooks, printer paper...etc.) as we continue to build out our ground game in Ocean!

Ken spent yesterday evening rallying with local workers. You know what these folks are fighting for? A safe workplace, affordable health care, and their pensions -- accounts they paid into their whole careers.

Because here is what we are up against: Ken's opponent, Bob Gibbs, has a lifetime rating of 1% from the Alliance for Retired Americans and an 11% rating from the AFL-CIO. He is not a friend to workers. He is not a friend to retirees. In fact, in over a decade in public office, Bob Gibbs has voted to gut worker rights and benefits, to strip protections for Social Security and Medicare, and to raise health care costs for seniors. All while voting to give himself a pay raise three times.

Ken Harbaugh stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ohio workers. He is fighting to keep good-paying jobs here in our state. And he is fighting for the 66,000 Ohioans whose pensions are in jeopardy.

Elections matter. This one in November is shaping up to be a showdown -- between those of us who believe in the dignity of hard work and others who would take that away.

... and we're paying dearly for it. Add this to a Rigged Presidential Election, and every Trump/Putin supporter has cause to celebrate.

FROM NPR, 5/21/2018.

"In a case involving the rights of tens of millions of private-sector employees, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, delivered a major blow to workers, ruling for the first time that workers may not band together to challenge violations of federal labor laws."

"Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said that the 1925 Federal Arbitration Act trumps the National Labor Relations Act and that employees who sign employment agreements to arbitrate claims must do so on an individual basis — and may not band together to enforce claims of wage and hour violations."

NEIL GORSUCH WAS THE DONALD TRUMP NOMINEE FOR THE SUPREME COURT VACANCY. IT GAVE THE REPUBLICAN AGENDA A MAJOR BOOST TOWARDS RETURNING THIS COUNTRY TO A TIME WHEN CORPORATE SPECIAL INTERESTS RULED THE LEGAL SYSTEM, MINORITIES DIDN'T COUNT FOR MUCH, SOCIAL REFORM WAS JUST A DREAM, AND EMPLOYEE PROTECTIONS FROM ABUSE MEANT NOTHING.

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS? HERE ARE A FEW POSTS TO REFRESHEN YOUR MEMORY.

Falling Into Infinity

BY MICHAEL SHERMER

In 1801 the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge calculated the impact ratio of scientists to poets thusly: “the souls of 500 Sir Isaac Newtons would go to the making up of a Shakespeare or a Milton.” Defending his 1820 poem “Lamia,” Coleridge’s contemporary poet John Keats growled that Isaac Newton had “destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by reducing it to a prism,” lamenting that natural philosophy (science) will “unweave a rainbow.”

Does a scientific understanding of the world erase its emotional impact or spiritual power? Of course not. Science and spirituality are complementary, not conflicting. As the physicist Richard Feynman reflected in a 1981 BBC interview The Pleasure of Finding Things Out in recalling a conversation with an artist friend about appreciating a flower: ”the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds.”
Spirituality is a way of being in the world, a sense of one’s place in the cosmos, a relationship to that which extends beyond ourselves. I call this sciencuality, a neologism that echoes the sensuality of discovery. “Our contemplations of the cosmos stir us,” the astronomer Carl Saganwaxed poetic in the opening scene of his documentary series Cosmos, one of the most spiritual expressions of science ever produced. “There’s a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation as if a distant memory of falling from a great height. We know we are approaching the grandest of mysteries.” […]

MONSTERTALK EPISODE 162

Krampus in July

On a hot Summer day it’s nice to cool off and contemplate the hairy, horned winter monster of the Alps known as The Krampus. In MonsterTalk # 162, Blake interviews Al Ridenour, author of The Krampus and the Old Dark Christmas. Al is also the host of the folklore and pop-culture podcast Bone & Sickle.